Hawai‘i History
News
True tales of tall trees in the Islands
We love our trees in Hawai‘i. As ASD history columnist DeSoto Brown tells it, some trees have even been main characters in dramas playing out in the streets of the Islands.
DeSoto BrownSeptember 10, 2026
Through the Eyes of a Princess
Princess Kaʻiulani spent much of her tragically brief life at her beloved Waikīkī estate, ʻĀinahau. Over time, the property changed hands and developed into the hotel we know today. But there are stories the Princess is with us still in spirit at the site.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiSeptember 09, 2026
Changing Kakaako: Once a residential neighborhood
More than a century ago, the modern development of Kaka‘ako started as modest, wooden single-family homes. Over time, these were displaced businesses. ASD historian DeSoto Brown takes down these streets of Kaka‘ako as they looked then, and now.
DeSoto BrownSeptember 04, 2026
Sightings of Pele at Lē‘ahi
You might associated Pele most with the active volcanoes of Hawai‘i Island but ancient myths — and contemporary encounters — tell of her presence on Kaua‘i and O‘ahu as well.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiSeptember 02, 2026
Close cover before striking: Advertising matchbooks in Hawai‘i
When cigarette smoking was ubiquitous so were matchbooks. These were handed out by the thousands by Hawai‘i businesses, each serving as a portable advertisement. Here's a tour of the businesses, and the printing art form, emblazoned on Hawai‘i matchbooks.
DeSoto BrownAugust 27, 2026
Haunted Banyans at Ali‘iolani Hale
The two banyan trees next to Ali‘iolani Hale were planted in the 1880s. Such trees carry a wealth of symbolism throughout Asian cultures — enlightenment, divinity, magic, longevity, strength, and more. Legends also surround banyan trees as the abodes of ghosts and mysterious spirit beings. That was the experience of one Hawai‘i sheriff, who shared a frightening encounter with our authors.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiAugust 26, 2026
Changing Kaka‘ako: The ocean connection
The hundred-year-old Kewalo Basin was originally made to move fishing sampans out of busy Honolulu Harbor. At one point, 1,000 people worked in the adjacent Hawaiian Tuna Packers facility, producing up to 65,000 cans of tuna per day under the Coral brand for sale locally and on the Mainland. In time, the famous Fisherman's Wharf restaurant appeared, thrived, then shut down as well. It remains a harbor for fishing boats, but of the recreational variety, as well as for boat tours and "booze cruises."
DeSoto BrownAugust 21, 2026
Among the Graves at Kawaiaha‘o
Nearly 200 years ago, American missionaries at Kawaiaha‘o Church introduced the Western practice of graveyards with tombstones. While the living carry on with church services and wedding receptions and happy occasions, grief seems to bind some spirits to the graveyard — unhappy souls who make their presence known.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiAugust 19, 2026
Neon, its birth and death in Hawai‘i
Bright, colorful neon signs debuted in the Islands nearly a century ago, with literal Hollywood glamor — the Waikīkī, Kūhiō and other movie palaces used them. Restaurants and small businesses of all kinds went for neon, too. Over time, they became associated with dive bars and the bad side of town. ASD history writer DeSoto Brown revisits and the highs and lows of this distinctly 20th-century form of advertising.
DeSoto BrownAugust 14, 2026
The Ghost of a Queen
Queen Emma was instrumental in establishing the Anglican Church in Hawaii and in 1867, she founded St. Andrew’s Priory School for Girls, to uplift the young women of Hawai‘i. The school meant the world to her, so is it any wonder that people claim to still see her presence there? Ghostly nuns and mysterious voices have also been encountered, spirits that seem more nurturing than frightening.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiAugust 12, 2026
Mary Kawena Pukui Learning Commons unveiled at Punahou School
The new center, named after the Hawaiian historian and scholar who taught at Punahou in the 1930s, replaces the school’s former Cooke Library. Aloha State Daily sat down with President Mike Latham to learn more about Pukui’s history at Punahou and in the broader community, as well as how her legacy continues to shape the next generation of students.
Kelsey Kukaua MedeirosAugust 12, 2026
'The Queen’s Will' premieres in Honolulu
The world premiere of a new play, “The Queen’s Will,” is headed for Kumu Kahua Theatre. Playwright Sean T.C. O’Malley shares how more than 500 articles helped inspire the show, which takes the stage for the first time this month.
Katie HellandAugust 08, 2026
Castle High School kicks off 75th anniversary with community event
Last week, the public high school in Kāneʻohe celebrated its 75th anniversary with an open house free to the public, complete with food trucks, vendors and live performances. This was the first event of a few planned for the school year, which will culminate in March. Aloha State Daily spoke with Principal Bernadette Tyrell, Ph.D., as well as teachers, alumni and students who helped put together this fundraiser.
Kelsey Kukaua MedeirosAugust 07, 2026
Changing Kaka‘ako: The first on Kaka‘ako’s Automobile Row
Shiny, new high-rise condos are popping up all over Kaka‘ako, and it isn't the first time a trend changed the neighborhood. In the 1950s, the new kids on the blocks were car dealerships. The first of these, in 1958, was for Volkswagen.
DeSoto BrownAugust 07, 2026
Beneath the Sand at Hūnānāniho
Waimānalo is one of the earliest human settlements on O‘ahu, dating back as much as a thousand years. For Native Hawaiians, it was a pu‘uhonua, a place of refuge. Later the area hosted a sugar plantation then a military airfield. In 2021, the City and County of Honolulu restored Waimānalo Bay Beach Park's traditional name, Hūnānāniho. Some say that's not the only presence from the past that walks the beach when the moon is just right.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiAugust 05, 2026
Honolulu's restaurant corner
With its high traffic and visibility, the corner of Kapi‘olani Boulevard and Kalākaua Avenue has attracted a series of legendary eateries over the decades. ASD history columnist DeSoto Brown revisits them all — Kau Kau Korner, Coco's, Hard Rock Café (much of the latter's building now serving as the home of Chick-fil-A's only sit-down restaurant).
DeSoto BrownJuly 30, 2026
Secrets of the Scottish Rite Cathedral
ASD's ghost and history columnists themselves had a very strange experience giving a tour of Makiki's Scottish Rite Cathedral. The Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry was welcomed into the Islands in 1874 by King David Kalākaua and John Owen Dominis, husband of Queen Lili‘uokalani. Its members have a long history of service to community, with an air of Masonic mystery.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJuly 29, 2026
Changing Kaka‘ako: The first high-rise
Perhaps no urban Honolulu neighborhood has changed more over the past 50 years than Kaka‘ako. ASD history columnist DeSoto Brown looks back on the changes, starting with the skyline, which used to boast but a single high-rise building. That has certainly changed! The condo 1350 Ala Moana once stood as a landmark and now is lost in the crowd.
DeSoto BrownJuly 23, 2026
New book features Hawaiʻi film spots
A new book, set to release in August, highlights the movies and television series that have been filmed on Hawaiʻi Island, Maui, Lānaʻi, Molokai, Oʻahu and Kauaʻi. Written by Ed Rampell and Luis Reyes, the book explores the cinematic histories of spots across the state, including shoutouts for recent film productions, such as "Chief of War" and Disney's live-action "Moana."
Katie HellandJuly 22, 2026
Night Marchers at the Naniloa
Babe Ruth and President Franklin D. Roosevelt are among the Mainland luminaries who planted banyan trees along Banyan Drive. The history of the Hilo area surrounding the Naniloa Hotel goes back to ancient times, and as hotel staff tell it, on some nights the old days come marching through in a mist.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJuly 22, 2026
Silent Spirits at the Hilo Hawaiian
Life thrived along Hilo Bay and Waiākea Peninsula, with abundant taro lo‘i, fish ponds, for centuries before Western contact. Spiritual life was ever-present and the landscape was dominated by the towering Kūakaʻananuʻu heiau, where men were sacrificed in elaborate ceremonies. Now the site is home to Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, and guests share stories of spectral visitors from long ago.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJuly 15, 2026
Kooky Rental Cars!
ASD history columnist DeSoto Brown takes us on a spin behind the wheels of the wacky, colorful rental cars that tourists loved in 1960s Hawai‘i. Open-air jeeps and dune buggies, these vehicles came from such exotic places as England, Italy, France and Toledo, Ohio. They all promised a fun time in the Islands.
DeSoto BrownJuly 14, 2026
Huaka‘i Pō at Pu‘ukoholā
It is said that Kamehameha himself helped build the Pu‘ukoholā heiau, a massive undertaking that involved a human chain 20 miles long passing stones from Pololu Valley to Puʻukoholā. Once completed and consecrated, Kamehameha's kahuna had said, the heiau would mean the successful end to Kamehameha's wars of conquest. Naturally, tales of night marchers — Huaka‘i Pō — still haunt the area.
Lopaka Kapanui and Tanya KapanuiJuly 08, 2026
Aloha Tower at 100 years old, Part 2: It seemed like a good idea at the time ...
In the early 1960s, the State of Hawai‘i invested millions in harbor upgrades that included modernizing Aloha Tower as a terminal for passenger liners. But jet planes soon replaced passengers liners, rendering the terminal obsolete. In the 1990s, those structure were torn down to create Aloha Marketplace, a shopping and dining destination that would never draw the anticipated crowds. ASD history writer DeSoto Brown brings us to the present day as Aloha Tower celebrates its centennial.
DeSoto BrownJuly 06, 2026